Friday, December 07, 2007

The dragon flight!

The civil aviation reforms commenced in China long before India had even conceived that something like this was essentially required. Right from inception, the Chinese objective was to engineer a complete separation of the general administration from the management of airlines. Post 2000, the primary focus shifted towards consolidation and creation of professionally managed companies. Subsequently, three of the largest Chinese airlines at present were formed – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Their fleets are almost comparable to the entire aviation industry of India. The Chinese industry, too, is registering losses, but it continues to grow, due to government vision and solid backing. It is this support which will take them ahead in the times to come.